Ink Notes
Next Vaccine Group
Allen County health officials expect the state to announce the next prioritized group soon and they will be prepared to administer the vaccine as early as mid-January.
When the next prioritized group and vaccination location are announced, appointments will be scheduled by phone and online, according to The Journal Gazette. “Vaccines will be offered five to six days a week and be free of charge, though the health department will ask those getting the vaccine to provide insurance information,” the health department spokesman told the paper on Tuesday.
A second dose will be scheduled while recipients are at the first appointment. For the latest information on COVID-19, check the department's website www.allencountyhealth.com.
Congratulations, Angelica!
Angelica Pickens has been named the new public information officer for the city’s community development division. She started Monday.
Formerly an investigative reporter, fill-in anchor and multimedia journalist at WANE-TV, Pickens replaces Mary Tyndall, who recently accepted a position at St. Joseph Community Health Foundation.
"We're excited to have Angelica as part of our leadership team in Community Development. Her professional experiences and expertise will assist us in our continued efforts to provide the public and media with important and timely information using several different platforms to help meet the needs of the community," Nancy Townsend, the city's community development director, said in a statement.
Pickens holds a master’s degree in journalism from Chicago’s DePaul University and is an adjunct professor of communications at Indiana Tech.
Sen. Dems Focus: Families, Police, Elections
Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, and other leading Senate Democrats
unveiled their agenda for the session at a press conference Tuesday, identifying policies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a national economic downturn, and the need to redress police policies in the aftermath of last summer’s protests over the deaths of Black men and women at the hands of law enforcement.
“Topping the agenda, said Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, is raising the state minimum wage from the current rate of $7.25 per hour,” reported TheStatehouseFile.com. Melton proposed immediately raising the minimum wage to $10 this session, with subsequent $1 raises each year after that until the minimum wage is $15 per hour.
“During this pandemic, our working Hoosiers kept our grocery stores open. They delivered our food and our packages during quarantine,” he said. “They cleaned our stores and offices to keep us safe. They did all of this while getting paid low wages.”
Melton also discussed implementing police reform, including a ban on chokeholds in arrests and no-knock warrants.
Kroger Hiring
Kroger Central Division is looking to hire. Through 2020, the division, which serves four states, has hired 12,908 associates – many from restaurants, hotels and other businesses hit hard by the pandemic.
Kroger offers competitive pay and benefits plus flexible work schedules, stable job opportunities and discounts on Our Brands products. Candidates may apply via jobs.kroger.com.